Letter from Lhasa, number 171. (Babauta 2007): Zen to Done
by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi
Babauta, L., Zen to Done. The Ultimate Simple Productivity System, eBook, 2007.
(Babauta 2007).
Leo Babauta
The first advantages of this book about accomplishments and simplification are its simplicity, and its synthetic and clear exposition of about only 80 pages.
Finish what you start. You have to change your habits, evidently. One by one.
Simplify and focus.
Focus on doing what is important and do it well.
First, focus on changing your habits one by one.
10 habits or the ones, of these ten, working for you.
“Each of these habits should be learned and practiced one at a time if possible, or 2-3 at a time at the most. Focus on your habit change for 30 days, then move on to the next.
“That can be difficult, I know, but in the long run the habits will stick better if you focus on them one or two at a time. And over the course of a year, you’ll have mastered them all -- and I don’t think becoming completely organized and productive in one year is such a bad accomplishment.
“The order listed below is just a suggestion — you can adopt them in whatever order works best for you. Habits 1-8 are the most essential, but I suggest you give Habits 9-10 serious consideration too. I will expand on each of these 10 habits in the chapters to follow.”
(Babauta 2007, p. 11)
“1. Collect
“Habit: ubiquitous capture. Carry a small notebook (or whatever capture tool works for you) and write down any tasks, ideas, projects, or other information that pop into your head. (...)
“2. Process
“Habit: make quick decisions on things in your inbox, do not put them off. Letting stuff pile up is procrastinating on making decisions. (...)
“3. Plan
“Habit: set MITs for week, day. Each week, list the Big Rocks (most important tasks) that you want to accomplish for that week, and schedule them first. Each day, create a list of 1- 3 MITs (basically your Big Rocks for the day) and be sure to accomplish them. Do your MITs early in the day to get them out of the way and to ensure that they get done.
“4. Do
“Habit: do one task at a time, without distractions. (...)
“5. Simple Trusted System
“Habit: keep simple lists, check daily. (...)
“6. Organize
“Habit: a place for everything. (...)
“7. Review
“Habit: review your system & goals weekly. (...) Once a month, set aside a little more time to do a monthly review of your goals, and every year, you should do a yearly review of your year’s goals and your life’s goals.
“8. Simplify
“Habit: reduce your goals & tasks to essentials. (...)
“9. Routine
“Habit: set and keep routines. (...)
“10. Find your passion
“Habit: seek work for which you’re passionate. This could be your last habit, but at the same time your most important. (...)”
(Babauta 2007, p. 12-16)
In practice: program and do!
And, best, ...do what you are passionate about!
If you have too much work, suppress/eliminate and delegate!
This is, finally, a booklet of less than 100 pages...
Babauta, L., Zen to Done. The Ultimate Simple Productivity System, eBook, 2007.
